Adam Levine Calls Randy Jackson ‘Irresponsible’

They're competing for a similar demographic, so it only stands to reason that the 'American Idol' judges might not be on the friendliest of terms with their counterparts on NBC's upstart hit 'The Voice.' But it's still a little surprising to watch the war of words that seems to be unfolding between Adam Levine and Randy Jackson.

During a recent appearance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' with his fellow 'Voice' coaches Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton, Levine bristled at some of Jackson's statements regarding the show. "Randy said that 'The Voice' is basically kind of a second-chance place. People that don't get in someplace else go to 'The Voice'," pointed out Ellen. Levine shot back: "I heard about this. Shame on Randy Jackson for saying that."

He continued: "Because he, out of anybody, should know that if you're in this business you need second, third, fourth and fifth chances. So we love and embrace that being part of the show," continued Levine, adding, "he is a household name now. It was an irresponsible thing to say that."

While we don't know how truly "irresponsible" Jackson's comments were -- it's hard to imagine anyone really being hurt by what he said -- it's worth pointing out that 'Idol' has come under plenty of fire for its own talent show approach to discovering talent. And although Jackson was correct when he pointed out that first-season 'Voice' winner Javier Colon is "an artist who had a deal at Capitol Records for several years, a failed contract," it seems likely that his shots at 'The Voice' stem mainly from 'Idol's' ratings slide over the last few years.

What do you think? Which show will you be tuning in to watch this season?